Prison Riot Kills 23 People In Mexico

By

Nicholas Casey

Dec. 19, 2012 4:05 pm ET

MEXICO CITY—At least 23 people were killed in a prison riot in the northern Mexico state of Durango, spotlighting the challenges ahead for newly inaugurated President Enrique Peña Nieto, who pledged this week to make reducing violence his top priority.

Police said the riot occurred Tuesday evening in the town of Gómez Palacio when a group of inmates attempted a jailbreak by scaling fences and using an underground tunnel. Confronted by the guards, the prisoners fought back at first with stones, then with firearms, Police said....